Spectre Breaks Box Office Record, Earns More Than Skyfall

With the last couple of weekends bombing the box office with horrific returns, The Martian has had an easy time reclaiming its cinematic crown at the top of the domestic standings. Of course, this is about to end as of next weekend, considering Spectre is going to do gangbusters at multiplexes nationwide. At least, it should, considering how much money the film is collecting overseas.

According to reports from this past weekend, Spectre has landed the biggest 7 day bank drop in UK history, with $63.8 million coming in over the course of the film's week of release. Overall, the film has brought in $80.4 million, in only six territories of release, which is music to Sony and MGM's ears. Considering the financial woes of both studios, particularly after this summer's lackluster returns in their favor, Spectre is just the shot in the arm that both studios needed.

With reports such as that of The Hollywood Reporter's analysis on Spectre's early innings, one has to think that the partnership would not only be pleased with this result, but also itching to throw their bid in to renew their distribution rights for the famed franchise. As it was recently reported, the James Bond franchise's exclusivity to Sony and MGM ended the moment Spectre opened last week. Which means that there's blood in the water, and the sharks are circling around the deal to be the home of 007's next era of excellence.

Of course, the box office returns for Spectre aren't necessarily indicative of the film's quality. If anything, the quality of Skyfall is what's driven audiences in droves to see Spectre. Though critical analysis is, for the most part, behind the latest Daniel Craig outing – with a 77% rating on Rotten Tomatoes; so quality shouldn't be too much of an issue when the film hits in the United States next Friday. One could even say that the future of the Bond franchise depends on the success of Spectre, as this film's track record could either praise or damn the efforts Sony has put into the franchise's history.

With Skyfall's total grosses crossing the $1 billion mark, all eyes are turning to Spectre to see if it can replicate that success. Considering the $80.4 million it's already brought into the coffers, we can't really tell if it will surpass that amount. However, what we can do is suggest that the latest Sam Mendes installment in the 007 franchise is already in line to make itself a healthy profit, regardless of records. Considering the last film was budgeted at $200 million, the first week of international box office is a good sign that the bills will be paid at Sony and MGM as far as the latest film's production and marketing costs go. No matter how you slice it, you can be sure that James Bond will return.

Spectre is already in theaters throughout several international territories, with its U.S. debut coming on Friday.